JUST SICKENING
May condemns ‘Grenfell bonfire’ as police probe internet video
A SICKENING video of people laughing and mocking residents of Grenfell Tower while burning a model of the block of flats is being probed by police.
Survivors and fire chiefs yesterday condemned the footage, which was widely shared on social media, with Prime Minister Theresa May calling it ‘utterly unacceptable’.
It shows a large cardboard effigy marked ‘Grenfell Tower’, complete with drawings of figures at the windows, being placed over a bonfire.
A group of men and women can be heard making jokes as the model starts to catch fire, with one shouting: ‘Help me! Help me!’
The group, who are white with southern accents, burst into laughter as they yell: ‘Jump out of the window,’ and: ‘That’s what happens when you don’t pay your rent.’ They also mock the original advice given by the fire brigade before the scale of the tragedy was understood, with one shouting: ‘Stay in your flat, we’re coming to get you.’
One of the men is heard to say: ‘That little ninja’s getting it now’ – in what appears to be a racist comment about the figure of a Muslim woman in a burka.
The video, which features a St George’s flag in the background and appears to have been filmed in a back garden over the weekend, has been reported as a hate crime.
Last night survivors of the tragedy which claimed 72 lives last year, MPs and London’s most senior firefighter condemned the makers of the video, which first surfaced on WhatsApp and was then shared on Twitter and Facebook. Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: ‘This is disgusting, shameful behaviour. These people are a disgrace.’
The Prime Minister added: ‘ To disrespect those who lost their lives at Grenfell Tower, as well as their families and loved ones, is utterly unacceptable.’ Khadijah Mamudu, whose mother and younger brother escaped the fire, said she was stunned by the ‘vile act’.
She said: ‘ I’m honestly lost for words. The community is stronger together and even this vile act by flag-waving, intellectually challenged, brainwashed sheep won’t derail the fight for justice.’
London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said: ‘This is an appalling and disturbing video. To intentionally use and mock the Grenfell Tower fire in this way will cause deep pain and offence to the bereaved, survivors, the community and all the emergency services who will never forget that night. It cannot be justified on any level.’
Met Police Commander Stuart Cundy, who is leading the investigation into the Grenfell fire, said they are looking at whether the culprits can be prosecuted.
He added: ‘I am frankly appalled by the callous nature of the video posted online. To mock that disaster in such a crude way is vile.
‘I can’t imagine the distress this video will undoubtedly cause to bereaved families and survivors.
‘The Met’s Grenfell Tower investigation team is taking this matter very seriously. Any offences that have been committed will be fully investigated.’ Fire ripped through the tower block in North Kensington, West London, in June last year, leaving 72 people dead.
‘This is disgusting, shameful behaviour’